7 Reasons To Give Blue Apron a Try Today

I’m not really a joiner. I don’t have a gym membership or even a library card, but I am a recipe-card carrying member of Blue Apron, the national service that sends original recipes and fresh ingredients to your doorstep every week. I’m loving my adventures in Blue Apron and wish I’d signed up sooner.

Top 7 Reasons Why I Wish I Tried Blue Apron Earlier

1. Like a good chiropractor or therapist, Blue Apron gives me just the right nudge to move my cooking in a new direction. I consider myself a pretty creative cook, yet certain ingredients like catfish or collard greens never made it to my week day repertoire. There’s a new spark to our dinners on Blue Apron nights.

2. As a new dad, I want to spend more time at home with my infant son. Cooking with Blue Apron helped me to realize I’d developed a bad habit of going to the grocery store nearly every night. Blue Apron helped me to turn my grocery shopping time into cooking with family time.

3. There’s no commitment. Last week, we were booked with dinners out and travel. I used their app to skip my Blue Apron delivery. No problem, no penalties.

4. My husband and I like trying new spices but I don’t want them hanging around my kitchen for ages (I still haven’t finished the bottle of Chinese Five Spice I bought years ago for a sweet potato recipe. At this point I should be charging that bottle rent!). This month I’ve been able to try: gochugaru, sambal oelek, verjus, palm sugar. Blue Apron sends just enough of each ingredient for one meal. No waste and no paying for fancy ingredients I won’t use.

5.Lentil Bolognese! I never would have made this recipe without Blue Apron - now I keep craving the hearty wintry flavors. My favorite Blue Apron recipe so far. (For those of you who are already subscribers, tell me what your favorites are in the comments.)

(Image credit: Blue Apron)

6. Working from Blue Apron’s perfectly crafted recipes gives me a geeky thrill – like a Home Ec class pumped up with more chef-y flavors. For example, the quick kimchi and chile-rubbed steaks came together in precisely the time it took for the tomato rice to simmer. A very restaurant-like dinner in less than 40 minutes - sure beats take out.

7. Like The Kitchn, Blue Apron is a community for cooks. My brother does Blue Apron too and we have fun texting about what’s for dinner. Even if no one in your family Blue Aprons, each recipe is posted on Blue Apron’s site with techniques and tips from other home cooks.

Here’s The Deal

Blue Apron has two plans: the 2-Person Plan and Family Plan.

The 2-Person Plan will set you up with one delivery a week, each with three great meals for two. Each week, the Blue Apron culinary team creates six new recipes for this plan, and you will be sent a curated menu of three recipes based on your dietary preferences. The price for this plan is $9.99 per person per meal. Shipping is always free.

The Family Plan is perfect for feeding a family of four. With this plan you can opt to receive one or two deliveries per week, each delivery consisting of two meals to be served family-style. The price for this plan is $8.74 per person per meal. Shipping is always free.

What Is Blue Apron?

Blue Apron allows you to create delicious, chef-designed recipes at home. Blue Apron delivers all the ingredients you need, right to your door, in exactly the right proportions. I’ve been impressed by the super-fresh quality of the in-season ingredients. Blue Apron recipes are delivered in a refrigerated box so ingredients will stay fresh even if you’re not at home when your package arrives - and shipping is always free.

And Why Is The Apron Blue?

We cooked up some Blue Apron meals in our test kitchen for lunch last week. As we chopped the cabbage for a quick kimchi, a co-worker explained to me that chefs-in-training wear blue aprons. Aha! The blue apron is a symbol of being open to lifelong learning about cooking. I’m in.